Adrian Smith, Leppard audition

[Bent out of shape]

https://blabbermouth.net/news/phil-coll ... 1-audition


I knew Sykes auditioned but wasn't aware of Adrian 

[Dinosaur David B]

Def Leppard puts out albums too frequently for Sykes. 

 

[Stitsel]

From Maiden to Def Leppard...? 

Glad he didn't get the gig.
 
 

[Bent out of shape]

Lol re Leppard frequency!

[Dr Nick]

He'd have been so bored. 

Although I do still like me some Leppard. Sue me. 
 

[merlo_zeppelin]

I really like Def Leppard, all eras (or most eras actually)
I think Adrian would have been a great fit. He can sing well (which is a must for DF with all those vocal harmonies) and he has a good ear for pop. All this is proven by the Iron Maiden B-side he sings lead on, which wouldn't be out of place in a Def Leppard album, I can even imagine Joe Elliot's voice in it:



Talking about Sykes, he auditioned for Guns N Roses and allegedly killed it. That would have been a real shit show, Sykes and Axl together.

https://blabbermouth.net/news/john-syke ... ard-fortus

[Tatosh Guitar]

I actually knew Adrian had tried to get the gig, but I was totally unaware Sykes had too.

They both make sense to me. They both are great singers, they are british, heck, they are even age appropiate.

Those saying Adrian would have gotten bored seem to forget he sometimes, on his own time, puts out material more reminicent of lighter rock than heavy metal. Both Collen and Allen say in the interview that he was very into it.

As for Sykes, I wonder if casual fans would have noticed that Clarke was gone had he joined. I mean, a tall blonde guy playing a black Les Paul gets replaced by another, slightly taller blond guy playing a black Les Paul...

I wonder what Viv would say if Sykes had gotten the gig instead of him. He famously had a beef with him because he played in Lizzy, his all time favorite band, and he didn't (I have heard he called him "John Sucks")

[merlo_zeppelin]

I love Viv, but talk about being inmature, hating a guy because he got the gig and you didn't. I heard Viv praise Sykes's skills once he had to learn his parts in Whitesnake.
When Sykes exited (or got the boot) from the post Lynott Lizzy, Viv replaced him (for the second time in two different bands)

[Tatosh Guitar]

I love Viv, but talk about being inmature, hating a guy because he got the gig and you didn't. I heard Viv praise Sykes's skills once he had to learn his parts in Whitesnake.
When Sykes exited (or got the boot) from the post Lynott Lizzy, Viv replaced him (for the second time in two different bands)

 

Viv is irish and basically worships Gary Moore. He must have been lusting for the Lizzy gig like nothing else. The fact Sykes got it is not surprising because he is a monster player and was also heavily into Gary, of course. It could have gone either way, but I think Viv thought he was the one more deserving due to his citizenship status LOL.

For what is worth, when the original DIO band was formed two names were suggested: Sykes and Viv. We all know Viv got it, and according to Jimmy Bain, it was mostly cause Sykes was too tall and Ronnie would have looked like a shrimp standing next to him on stage. So in the end, Viv might have replaced John twice, but he beat John twice as well by getting the gigs in the first place (DIO and Leppard).

[Dinosaur David B]

I heard Viv praise Sykes's skills once he had to learn his parts in Whitesnake.

 

I remember it as a very backhanded complement -- if it even was one. Viv said something like Sykes' solos "weren't very lyrical."

Viv's a non-entity (IMO) in Def Leppard, but I loved him in Dio, and in Riverdogs. 

BUT (IMO), he's not the same class of player or musician Sykes is, and he certainly isn't the writer or singer Sykes is. That said, I think Viv's style probably suited Dio's songs and styles better than Sykes would have. I can't imagine Dio singing over Sykes' busy rhythms like Billy and Holy War. OTOH, Sykes' style gave Lizzy a great big kick up the arse that they needed at that time. So I think both guys ended up in the right gig.

The guy I always wanted to see Sykes do an album with was Glenn Hughes. We got that one song (Heaven's missing an Angel) tease from them, and I thought it was awesome. But they're both too quirky to think it would have worked on the personality level.